Baby due in June but need answers on breastfeeding from people that have done it!!

[DawnAS]

Hello Ladies,

I wonder if anyone can advise me. My first baby is due at the beginning of June and I would like to breastfeed but don't know if it's a lost cause already and would rather know before and not put myself through the pain...

I had breast-implants about 6 years ago and initially I lost all feeling in my nipples. Over the last couple of years, the feeling has started to come back but is only pain, no normal feeling at all. DH can no longer touch them and obviously they're even more painful during PG than they were prior, but even then they couldn't be touched.

So... bottom line is, is it worth me even trying to breastfeed if they can't even be touched? I have no idea what it feels like and how hard babies suck as this is my first baby, so sorry to sound naive...

Also, something I will raise with my MW, but wonder if anyone has ever had this, one of my nipples right on the end, seems to have turned a blue/black colour (the actual teat part as opposed to the areola which is still a normal colour). The other one is fine. I also wonder whether this may be related to the breast implants... eek...

Any advice gratefully received...

xxx

I'm afraid I have no experience of implants, let alone bfing with them, but the only thing I can suggest is it is always worth giving bf a go - your body may surprise you, and if it ends up not working out at least you will have had a go and not forever thinking 'oh but what if...'

Our bodies, with or without implants, change so radically during pregnancy and birth that there's no way to predict how it will pan out in the end.

As well as consulting your mw I'd also get in touch with one of the BF associations on the right hand side of this page here and possibly visiting a baby cafe if you are near one - a real BF counsellor can give you better advice than strangers on t'interweb .
It can be v helpful to get to know local bf specialists before the birth as that makes it easier to contact them if you need help once the baby's here.

The other good online resource is the US site Kellymom - she has links here to some interesting articles on nursing with implants.

Good luck and keep us posted...

MrsBadger, thank you so much for your response and the links, I will go and have a look now!!